Abstract
In this article, the debate on passenger name records (PNRs) in European politics will be perceived from a discourse analytical perspective. After the 9/11 attacks, the US government required PNR from aircraft passengers travelling from or to the USA. This, and the negotiations of the European Commission with the USA, led to heated debates in the European political arena. The PNR debate was pursued as part of a broader privacy and security discourse which shifted significantly over the past decade. In order to understand the PNR debate and the assigning of meaning to key political notions such as privacy and security, discourse analysis can be applied. Specific discourse characteristics and techniques – such as the use of metaphors, framing and exclusion – influence the content and outcome of discourses. By reviewing the characteristics of and techniques used in the PNR discourse, this article unveils values and beliefs of European politicians underlying the discourse.
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